TORONTO — Columnist and author Alan Fotheringham, known for decades of biting satirical commentaries about Canadian public figures, died early Wednesday at his home in Toronto. He was 87 and would have turned 88 on Aug. 31.
For 27 years, Fotheringham’s columns appeared in the prominent last-page spot of Maclean’s magazine, where readers often turned to read his take on Canadian news and politics before reading the rest of the publication.
Fotheringham’s early career began with a regular column at the University of British Columbia’s student newspaper. He was later was a reporter and columnist at the Vancouver Sun newspaper.
He began writing his weekly Maclean’s column in 1975. He also published several books, including a collection of essays called “Last Page First” and a 2011 memoir, “Boy From Nowhere.”
In addition to writing, he was a member of the long-running CBC television show “Front Page Challenge,” which featured some of Canada’s most prominent journalistic names on its panel.
Allan Fotheringham was born Murray Allan Scott on Aug. 31, 1932, in Hearne, Sask, the third of Edna and John Scott’s four children. He took the surname Fotheringham after his mother remarried following his father’s death.
Fotheringham is survived by his wife Anne, son Kip, daughter Francesca and five grandchildren. His eldest son, Brady, died in 2011.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 19, 2020
The Canadian Press
